The present invention relates generally to a mud fender attachment for a harness racing sulky or race bike which simplifies the mounting of the fender to the sulky.
In the sport of harness racing, a driver is drawn behind a horse in a two-wheeled carriage which is commonly referred to in the vernacular as a "sulky" or "race bike." Having a light-weight, generally open design, the sulky is constructed of several tubular frame members. One of these members, termed the arch, extends between the wheels for rotatably receiving each wheel, typically having a diameter of 24 or 30 inches (61 or 76 cm), within a respective outboard fork portion, and for supporting the driver at a rearward position intermediate the wheels. A pair of generally parallel shafts forwardly extend from the arch into a straddling connection with a harness which is secured to the flanks and forelegs of the horse. Control over the horse by the driver is exerted via a pair of elongate reins which extend to the driver from a bridle fitted about the head of the horse.
As in other types of horse racing, harness races often must be run in less than ideal conditions. During or after periods of inclement weather, the track, which typically is dirt or a dirt mixture, may be muddied to an extent that debris splashed from the wheels presents a hazard to following drivers and horses. It therefore is within the authority of a paddock judge to order all teams to install mud fenders to cover a rearward portion of each of the wheels.
Mud fenders heretofore have included an arrangement of struts and elastomeric straps engineered for making a three-point attachment of the fender to the arch of the sulky. However, as fenders typically are not specified for dry track conditions, and as the teams may have only a few minutes in which complete the mounting thereof, the fenders previously known in the art have proved to be a particular source of displeasure to the drivers, trainers, and others charged with their installation. Teams often have been observed to be struggling with the mounting of the fenders even as the horses are being called to the starting gate.
During the race, the minimal clearance provided between the fender and the wheel is prone after only a relatively short distance of travel to develop a packing of mud which increases the frictional forces on the wheel and contributes to a decrease in the overall speed of the team. Even without such mud packing, the fenders may be misaligned during installation or from contact with another horse or sulky causing the wheel to rub on the fender. Again, the overall speed of the team is adversely affected.
Apart from being perceived merely as an inconvenience or as contributing to poor running times, the fenders commonly in use have been discovered to have been factors in many accidents causing injuries to both drivers and horses alike. In this regard, such fenders incorporate a pair of struts, similar to those employed with bicycle fenders, for the attachment of the fender to the forks of the arch. The space between these struts and the wheel form a gap into which another horse may step and become entangled.
In view of the foregoing it will be appreciated that there has existed and remains a need for improvements in the attachment of mud fenders to harness racing sulkies. Such improvements would be well-received by drivers and trainers, and would represent an important advancement to the sport.